Just Neighbors Interfaith Homeless Network (IHN) advocates for families in crisis, so they must consider what success looks like for those they serve—which can vary from person to person, and family to family.

With a mission to serve homeless families, Just Neighbors was founded in 1999 as a grassroots response to the need for emergency shelter for homeless families in our community. When a family needs emergency housing, they are often forced to separate—with the women and children in one location and the men at a separate shelter. Just Neighbors keeps the family unit together throughout the process. The dignity and worth of each family are cherished hallmarks of the hospitality of the Just Neighbors program.

While housing is an emergency need that must be fulfilled for these families, Just Neighbors knows that housing alone doesn’t solve homelessness. That’s why they don’t just measure the number of stays or meals served. Their goal is to work with families to return them to self-sufficiency through fellowship and programming, and the outcomes they track demonstrate families’ progress toward that independence.

Just Neighbors’ Outcomes

•   Shortening time in the shelter
•   Measuring how many guests attain stable housing
•   Measuring increases in household income

“We have found that these are robust indicators of not only how effective our staff members are, but also how effective the nonprofit network can be,” explained Shirley Rork, Program Director. “Housing insecurity does more than threaten our neighbors with life out in the elements. It decreases children’s test scores, impacts their self-esteem, leads to escalated familial violence, and creates an environment of stress that affects the health of all in the household. Being able to move a family from a shelter into stable housing within 45 days shortens the window where a family can experience lasting effects of trauma.”

She continued, “Furthermore, knowing that we can see those families arrive safely into housing 80% or more of the time means we are particularly effective at bringing out the best in our residents, to help them find something within them to push a little harder, to work a little more, and see results for their own families on their own terms.”

Many different scenarios put families in these unexpected crises. Shirley shares the following story as an example that demonstrates the diversity of experiences in which they assist.

“We had a family move to our shelter due to a housing scam. The family moved to Fort Wayne from another state to accept a job. They believed they had secured a home that would be ready for them when they arrived. Once getting to Fort Wayne they immediately realized someone had scammed them and had stolen almost $3,000 of their money. Because they came from another state, they did not have a local support system. Due to losing the money from the housing scam, they could not afford another home or even a hotel until they got a few paychecks from the new job. Luckily, a community partner referred them to us. We brought the family into the shelter quickly and connected them with partner agencies to ensure they had the basic necessities. The family was able to find housing quickly but needed to wait until they could save the funds, which could cause them to lose the home. We utilized community resources to find some of the funding needed to help the family secure the home. Because of their hard work and our program, this family was safe and secure during what would have otherwise been a crippling crisis. And thanks to our community partners, we were able to help move this family into stable housing within 17 days.”

“Foellinger Foundation has encouraged us to think on a network level for our clients as they go from crisis to self-sufficiency,” said Shirley. “We have made it our culture to use our reports as opportunities to articulate our mission better and improve our processes for the benefit of our organization and those with whom we come in contact.”

Thank you, Just Neighbors, for your commitment to increasing Allen County residents’ self-reliance, and bettering our community.